JLPT N5 Pass Mark: What Score You Need to Pass

N5 pass marks at a glance

N5 has the lowest pass mark of any JLPT level — you pass with under half the points.

On official score reports, "Vocabulary & Grammar" appears as Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar).

The two rules for passing N5

Both must be true at the same time:

• Rule 1 — enough points overall: your total is 80 or higher.
• Rule 2 — no section left behind: 38 out of 120 in Vocabulary, Grammar & Reading and 19 out of 60 in Listening.

Rule 2 is the one that surprises people. Imagine scoring 110 out of 180 — way past the 80 needed — but only 17 out of 60 in Listening. That's a fail, because Listening needed 19. The minimums are low (about a third of each section), so they won't punish an off day — they only stop you if one skill is nearly absent.

Also: skip any paper on test day and you fail automatically.

Do I need 44% of answers correct?

Not exactly. 80 out of 180 is about 44% of the points — but the JLPT doesn't simply count right answers. It uses scaled scores: your results are adjusted for how hard your particular test was, so scores mean the same thing across test dates. You can't calculate your score from an answer key, and "44% correct" is only a rough guide. The practical advice: in practice tests, aim comfortably above 80, not just barely over.

What the test looks like on the day

On test day, N5 has three papers: Vocabulary, then Grammar & Reading, then Listening. But you only get two scores back — vocabulary, grammar and reading are pooled into one score out of 120. That's good news if one of those is weaker: a strong area can pull it up. Listening, though, stands alone — nothing can rescue a listening score below 19.

What CEFR level is N5?

Pass N5 — any score from 80–180 — and your certificate corresponds to CEFR A1, the European scale used on CVs (A1 is beginner, C2 near-native). It appears on score reports from the December 2025 test onward, for passers only. Since the JLPT has no speaking or writing section, it describes your reading and listening.

Your results sheet

Everyone receives a score report; pass and you also get a Certificate of Proficiency — the document schools and employers ask for. The report adds A/B/C grades for each skill area (A: 67%+ correct, B: 34–66%, C: under 34%) — vocabulary, grammar and reading are graded separately here, even though they share one score, which is the easiest way to spot what to study next. These grades never affect pass/fail.

Pass marks for the other levels

Ready to aim past 80?